The Effects of Love

Chapter 4

*The ambulance gets to the hospital and Troy is rushed into the Emergency Room. Jonathan tries to follow Troy, but the doctors make him wait in the waiting room.*

Jonathan: "You don't understand! I'm all he's got! I have to go with him!"

Doctor: "Where are his parents?"

Jonathan: "He's 18! He left his parents in New York and came to California!"

Doctor: "Why would he move away?"

Jonathan: "Because he couldn't stand his parents anymore!"

Doctor: "Does he have insurance since he's living on his own?"

Jonathan: "My parents pay for it for him."

Doctor: "So how are you connected to him? Because only relatives are allowed to visit."

*Jonathan's parents stand next to Jonathan and wait for him to reply. When he can't think of an excuse, his dad cuts in*

Mr. Meier: "Troy is my son-in-law."

Doctor: "Okay. Well that means that your son is the only one allowed in right now."

*Jonathan hugs his dad and whispers, "Thank you" in his ear. His dad hugs him back, and pushes Jonathan through the doors.*

Doctor: "Troy is in the third operation room on the right."

Jonathan: "Why is he in there so long? All he needed was the bullet to be taken out."

Doctor: "Well he did at first. Until we found an artery that had been grazed and damaged. He should be out in an hour or so."

*Jonathan presses his ear against the glass in hopes of hearing what the doctors are saying. Nothing. The glass is too thick and the machines are too loud. Jonathan sits on a chair facing the operation room's doors, waiting for Troy to come out. Eventually, Jonathan falls asleep. And hour later, Jonathan is woken up at the sound of two doors hitting a pair of walls. Jonathan looks at the operation room and the doctors are rolling Troy out of the room. Jonathan meets up with Troy and holds his hand. Even though Troy is still unconscious, Jonathan feels relieved that Troy is going to be okay. After the doctors get Troy into a room, the doctors allow friends to come in and visit. Tucker and Dalis sit with Jonathan while Mr. and Mrs. Meier talk to the doctor about how Troy is doing and how long it will take for him to make a complete recovery.*

Doctor: "Troy should be up and moving in three to four weeks."

Mrs. Meier: "Great!"

Doctor: "Well, maybe. We saw a spot on his lungs that we want to look into."

Mr. Meier: "Well what do you think it is?"

Doctor: "We're hoping it's just an ordinary spot. But there is a possibility that it is cancerous."

*Mrs. Meier covers her mouth and grabs Mr. Meier's arm."

Mr. Meier: "Can lung cancer kill you?"

Doctor: "It kills everyone. It has the highest death rate over any type of cancer. Even higher than breast cancer."

Mrs. Meier: "What are the chances Troy will survive?"

Doctor: "Extremely low. Every year, lung cancer kills around 157,000 people."

*Mrs. Meier screeches and looks into the room praying Troy doesn't have lung cancer. The doctor excuses himself and walks away.*

Mrs. Meier: "Jonathan is going to be devastated if Troy has cancer. I really hope Troy is going to be okay."